Inevitable
by James-h00rs
Summary: Bella Swan is in love with her best friend James, who has a girlfriend. Cliché? Yes. Can she wait around until he realizes who he really loves? Maybe. Loosely based on the song "Inevitable" by Jessie James.


**Title:** Inevitable

**Word Count:** 3,401

**Rating:** M-ish

**Summary:** Bella Swan is in love with her best friend James, who has a girlfriend. Cliché? Yes. Can she wait around until he realizes who he really loves? Maybe. Loosely based on the song "Inevitable" by Jessie James.

* * *

_Its so ridiculously cliché, the girl who falls in love with her best friend. The one guy who knows her every secret, every fear, who knows her better than she knows herself. The guy who is her other half, but doesn't realize that she is the one he's meant to be with. I wanted to hit myself over the head with a severely blunt object for becoming a cliché. But I couldn't help it; I was in love with my best friend, James. _

**~Present~**

Bella Swan sat at the little café sipping her vanilla chai latte. He was late. With each passing second her resolve was slipping. She needed to make this better, to make him see that she was the one for him. She had woken up this morning with a fierce sense of determination but now she was second-guessing herself.

She glanced at her watch before looking out the window and seeing the familiar black Ford truck pull into a parking spot. Her heart skipped a beat as she watched her best friend get out of the truck. His dark blond hair was in a state of disarray; James was the king of the sex hair look. His faded blue jeans, black t-shirt and Doc Marten boots allowed him to pull of the entire bad boy look. His blue eyes lit up when he walked through the door and saw her sitting at their usual table.

"Hey, pretty lady," he said smiling before giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey yourself, handsome," she smiled trying to calm the queasiness in her stomach. "Did you want anything to drink?"

"I'm good," he said before grabbing her mug and taking a drink, he crinkled his face in disgust. "Ugh, how can you drink that shit."

"I like it, and you say that every time," she said smiling while she grabbed it back. "You should have learned by now to leave my chai alone."

"I know, but I keep hoping that it won't taste like shit or you'll get a new favorite." He said chuckling before his eyes took on a more serious look. "I've missed you, Bells."

Bella looked down into her mug, trying to fight back tears. She felt the familiar shock that went through her body as he reached for her hand and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. "I've missed you too," she made the mistake of looking into his blue eyes. They bore into her, seeing past the mask she tried to hide behind.

"I tried calling you, I left texts," he said. "You never answered."

"Have you told her?" she blurted out. It wasn't how she had rehearsed to say it, but it was too late to take it back now. She was impatient, she needed to know where his heart was.

James released her hand, running his hands up and down his face a few times before dropping them to his side.

"Dammit, Bella, can we just not talk about her?" He said, his tone was steely but his eyes looked tired. "I told you, its not the right time."

"When will it be the right time, James?" Bella demanded angrily. "A week from now, two weeks, a month, when?"

"I'm not talking about this right now, not with you," he said thinking she would drop it.

"Why not me, don't you get it? I love you and I know you love me." She said fiercely looking into his eyes. "Why can't you see that we are meant to be together? Everyone else sees it but you."

"Bells, I can't do this right now." James hung his head in defeat. "I…"

"Don't. I don't want to hear it." Bella stood up as the hot tears came forward. "I get it, she's the blonde bombshell, and I'm not. I don't understand what you see in her, but I can't wait around until you finally realize that I'm the one for you. Goodbye, James."

"Bella," James said hoping she would stop but she continued for the door, watching as she walked out. He sat, numb, not knowing if he had just watched his best friend walk out of his life.

* * *

Bella made it to her car before the tears made it impossible for her to see. She sat in the parking lot watching the front door of the café, hoping James would come out looking for her. It didn't happen. Defeated, Bella put her car in gear and drove home. Her heart was breaking. She had been stupid to think that he would just walk away from Tanya, who was tall, blonde and every man's dream. Tanya, the woman who treated Bella like trash, who talked about people behind their back and only thought of herself. Ever since James had introduced her, Bella had been trying to understand what he saw in her. As she lay in bed that night, she thought back to when everything had changed.

* * *

**~One Month Ago~**

_Tanya was out of town for business, so James had called Bella wanting her to come over to watch a movie. The innocent movie night had turned into making margaritas and taking shots of tequila. Sitting with him on the floor of his living room, a bottle of Patron between them, Bella had drunkenly confessed her feelings. Telling him that she loved him. That he should break up with Tanya so he could be with her. She went on to say that their friends and even their parents saw how perfect they would be together. James's eyes widened as he took her words to heart. He looked like he was seeing her for the first time. Bella continued to babble and didn't realize that he was moving closer to her. She felt his warm breath, his hand on her cheek._

_"Bells, stop talking," he commanded._

_She shut her mouth and waited. He leaned in and both felt the electric spark as his lips pressed to hers. Their lips moved together in a sensual dance. She opened her mouth to allow his tongue entrance. She felt his arm wrap around her waist, pulling her closer. Her arms moved around his neck, grabbing his hair to close any space between them. He pulled away for air and Bella could feel that her lips were swollen from his kiss. She hoped when she looked into his eyes she would see the realization, the love, but when she looked into those blue eyes she loved, she only saw confusion and regret._

_"Bells," he started._

_"Whoa, that tequila is some strong stuff, I umm…I should go, I'll call Alice," she stood up and made her way to the door, grabbing her purse on the way._

_"Bella, don't go," he said, but she could tell he wasn't sure it was a good idea if she stayed._

_"Its fine, I'll have Alice pick me up, no worries." She said forcing a smile on her face. "I'll talk to you later."_

_She hurriedly opened the door and walked out. She called Alice to come get her. Luckily, Alice arrived with her husband Jasper who drove Bella's car home for her. When Bella lay down in her bed later that night, she allowed the tears to come, knowing that things would never be the same between them._

* * *

**~Two Weeks Ago~**

_Bella had been right._

_Their relationship became strained, neither one bringing up the kiss. The once easy and carefree conversations became jilted and awkward. Bella wasn't sure how to act around him anymore. The kiss had changed everything and not in the way she had hoped it would. James had not given her any indication as to what his feelings were. Which was why Bella was confused when James showed up at her door unexpectedly._

_The sudden knock on the door caused Bella to jump. She placed her bookmark into her beloved copy of Wuthering Heights and placed it on the couch as she got up. Glancing up at the clock she noticed the late hour, wondering who was at her door. She looked through the eye-hole and unlocked the door when she saw the familiar face._

_"James, what the hell are you doing here?" She said raising her eyebrow as she moved to let him in._

_"I…umm…well, Tanya and I had a fight and the only person I wanted to talk to was you, but I haven't been able to get a hold of you." He rattled out, not looking in her eyes._

_"The battery died, it's on the charger." She said suddenly angry. "So the only reason you stopped by was because you got in a fight with your girlfriend?"_

_"Well, that was part of the reason, but I missed you," he said, finally looking up at her._

_"Oh." Her anger slowly slipped away. Those eyes were always her undoing. When she looked into them she never saw the bad boy he appeared to be to people on the street. When she looked into those eyes, he was the boy she had fallen in love with, the little nerd she had become friends with in high school. She looked into those eyes and saw the beautiful man he had become._

_"Bells, can we just talk about what happened," he said. She turned around walking away from him shaking her head no._

_"Let's not, just forget about it," she said hoping he didn't hear the quiver in her voice. "We both had a little too much to drink."_

_He reached out and took hold of her arm, effectively stopping her retreat. "Will you stop, we need to talk about this." He sounded desperate._

_"No, we don't. I can't talk about it," she said as tears came to her eyes._

_"Why?" He was confused._

_"Because, if we talk about it, you will say it was a mistake and I'll lie and say I didn't mean anything I said," she said as the tears made their way down her cheeks. "When I meant every single word I said. I love you and…"_

_Bella was once again cut off by James's lips on hers. Her eyes widened in surprise as the words she was about to say died in her throat. As his soft lips moved on hers she closed her eyes and let the feelings wash over her. Rising on her tiptoes, Bella wrapped her arms around his neck, nestling in his hair. He gripped her hips pulling her flush against him. Suddenly, his arms were no longer on her hips; instead they were on her ass, pulling her forward. She could feel him hard against her stomach. His kiss became more erotic as their tongues danced together. She pulled back when breathing became an issue. Looking into his eyes she saw the baby blue had darkened and the look of lust in his eyes made her girly parts tingle. As his lips moved to her neck, Bella gasped. Running her fingers down his back as he pushed her against the wall. James ran one arm down her side, taking hold of her leg and drawing it up to his hip. Bella felt him roll his hips against her as she arched her back, his lips doing wicked things to her neck. Her nipples hardened as his mouth moved back up to meet hers. His hand squeezed her thigh as she moaned when James lifted her up. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist as he moved them towards her bedroom. He laid her on the bed, hovering over her, James said the words that Bella had longed to hear for so long…_

_"Bells, I love you."_

_

* * *

_

_Later, as her head lay on his chest, Bella could hear James's steady heartbeat. She felt his fingers play with the crazy waves of her hair. She now knew what Buffy had meant when she said she was "blissfully numb." Being with him like this was so much better than her dreams, hearing him say I love you was the happiest moment of her life. But there was one thing ruining her blissful state. One thing she needed to know._

_"When will you tell her?" she asked suddenly._

_Instead of an immediate answer, all Bella received was silence. Her full heart was engulfed in dread._

_"James, when will you tell her," she asked, the urgency apparent in her voice._

_"I don't know." It was a whisper but she heard it. Everything she had felt in the last hour was suddenly shattered. Every small dream she had allowed herself to have was gone._

_"What do mean, you don't know?" Her eyes were wide in shock as she sat up, pulling the sheet to her chest._

_"I can't just break up with her, she's stressed with work. She doesn't deserve this right now." He said sitting up as well reaching for her._

_Bella flinched as she felt his warm hand on her back. He didn't mean it, he couldn't mean it. "James, please tell me you're joking, please." Her voice cracked as the last word came out._

_"Bella, I know you don't like her but I can't do that to her." He said hoping she would look at him._

_"But you can come to my house after a fight with her, you can kiss me, you can tell me you love me and then you can fuck me, but you can't break up with her?" Bella felt the anger well up inside her. "What about me, do I deserve this?"_

_"Bella, once again you're blowing things out of proportion." James sighed._

_The silence was deafening. Moments later he heard a calm, cold voice._

_"Get out."_

_"What? Bella just listen…" James said his heart breaking a little bit._

_"I said get out, James." Bella didn't look at him. She knew the tears were coming but she would not let him see them._

_"Bells, I'm going to break up with her, I just can't right now." He said hoping she would listen to him._

_"James, I don't want to hear it, just leave." Bella hung her head and closed her eyes._

_She felt his eyes on the back of her head. She felt him get up. She heard the rustle of his clothes as he put them on. Her eyes opened, and she stared at her hands as they held the sheet to her chest. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him pause in the doorway, turning to look at her._

_"I know you don't believe me, but I do love you Bells," he said before walking out the door. Bella didn't move until she heard the front door open and then close. Then she fell backwards and let the tears come. She lay in bed; her sobs filled the small house, as her heart broke. He loved her; he finally admitted it, so why didn't he see that being together was inevitable._

* * *

**~Present~**

It had been a whole day. One whole day since the disastrous meeting at the cafe and nothing. No phone call, no text message, no telegraph or smoke signal. Bella sat in her oversized armchair wrapped in her favorite blanket; she checked her phone periodically out of habit. He always tried calling after a fight. Maybe she had gone to far this time. She knew she had a tendency to freak out but he had always laughed it off before. The previously day had been spent soul searching. She realized that if it came to it, she could survive with James being in her life in a non-romantic capacity. It would hurt like hell, but she could do it. What she couldn't do was live without him in her life at all. She needed him in her life. They had been best friends for so long that even the thought of him not being there made her heart clench painfully.

Glancing at her phone, she willed it to light up, to signal a text message or a phone call. It sat, the screen remaining black. An hour later, Bella was still staring at her phone, realizing she didn't have a future in mind control or telepathy or whatever it is when you can speak to people through your mind, she picked up the phone preparing to call James. Her finger hovered over the "send" key when there was a knock on the door.

Making her way to the door, she peered out the front window noticing the black truck. No sooner had she unlocked the door and turned the handle than James was barreling through the front door. She opened her mouth to speak but he beat her to it.

"Don't say anything. I'm going to talk and dammit you are going to listen," he said loudly. His back was to her; she shut the door still looking at his heaving shoulders. James turned around, a hard, determined look on his face.

"You know me, you've always known me. For some reason you have always had this sixth sense when it comes to what I'm thinking or feeling," He said. She noticed his hands where clenched into fists at his side. "I've never had to explain myself to you because you just knew. Whenever I was confused about something you trusted me to make the right decision and if I needed to talk it out, you would listen to me." He paused looking into her eyes. His tone and gaze softened as he continued.

"I know you, I always have. I know that you never do anything halfway, that you wear your heart on your sleeve. If you love something you go all in, you love things with your whole heart. You can be irrational, pig headed and your freak-outs piss me off almost all the time. So I give you time and when I call you you're fine and we move on. But there's always been this nagging feeling in the back of my mind. This feeling that one day you would freak-out on me and that would be it, you'd be done."

He took a deep breath and slowly moved closer to her.

"When you walked out that door yesterday, I had this feeling that maybe it had finally happened. Maybe this was the one time you would forget that you know me, that you were done." James moved close enough to bring his hand to her cheek. "I sat there and waited. I wondered if you would ever talk to me again. I left the café, went home and wondered."

Bella looked into his eyes and was surprised to see tears falling from them.

"I thought about who I couldn't live without, you or Tanya. I thought about what my life would be like without her in it. I realized that there are shit tons of girls like her in the world. Then I thought about what my life would be without you, and it made me sick. There is only one Bells in the world. There is only one Bells that I love with my entire being. So I told Tanya that it was over, then I drove over here, hoping that you would listen to me, tell me that I was an asshole and then let me kiss you senseless."

He smiled a little as he looked at her. Her mouth hung open as her brain worked to process his confession. Bells. Love. Tanya. Over. Kiss. Senseless. She smiled as she looked up at him.

"You were an asshole, but I still love you." She said as she reached her arm out grabbing some of his shirt and pulling him to her. His eyes lit up as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Now kiss me senseless."


End file.
